World Against Violence and Extremism resolution calls for inter alia respect for territorial integrity and independence of all countries, unity in fight against violence and extremism, addressing of root causes absorbing women and youth toward extremism and necessity of avoiding hate speech and blaming religions.
Here is the full text of the draft resolution:
A world against violence and violent extremism
The General Assembly,
Guided by the purposes and principles set forth in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,1
Reaffirming its resolutions 2625 (XXV) of 24 October 1970, 36/103 of 9 December 1981, 39/11 of 12 November 1984, 49/60 of 9 December 1994, 53/243 of 13 September 1999, 55/282 of 7 September 2001, 56/6 of 9 November 2001, 60/288 of 8 September 2006, 64/14 of 10 November 2009, 66/171 of 19 December 2011, 67/99 of 14 December 2012 and 67/173, 67/178 and 67/179 of 20 December 2012 and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,2 and reaffirming also its resolution on the most recent review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,3 in which the General Assembly reiterated the call upon Member States, urging them to unite against violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, and resolutions 69/174 and 69/175 of 18 December 2014,
Recalling with measures to strengthen universal peace, and to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction of any kind such as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,
Underlining that all Member States have undertaken to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations,
Alarmed by the acts of intolerance, violent extremism, violence, including sectarian violence, and terrorism in various parts of the world, which claim innocent lives, cause destruction and displace people, and rejecting the use of violence, regardless of any motivation,
Reaffirming the commitment made by all States under the Charter to promote and encourage universal respect for and observance of all human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction, and reaffirming also that States are under the obligation to protect and respect all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons,
Convinced that wars and armed conflicts can lead to radicalization and the spread of violent extremism and disrupt development of human societies and thwart the well-being of humankind,
Recognizing that a primary responsibility of each State is to ensure a peaceful and violence-free life for its people, while fully respecting their human rights without distinction of any kind, to live together in peace with its neighbours, in full respect for political independence and the principle of sovereign equality of others, and to help to maintain international peace and security,
Recalling that, as affirmed in the Preamble to the Charter, the practice of tolerance is one of the principles to be applied to attain the ends pursued by the United Nations of preventing war and maintaining peace, and convinced that the respect for and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons, as well as tolerance, the recognition and appreciation of others and the ability to live together with and to listen to others, form a sound foundation of any society and of peace,
Welcoming the efforts made by the Secretary-General and his High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations to promote greater understanding and respect among civilizations, cultures and religions,
Reaffirming that violent extremism constitutes a serious common concern for all Member States, threatening the security and well-being of human societies, and convinced that there is no justification for violent extremism, whatever the motivation,
Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach to preventing and countering violent extremism and to addressing the conditions conducive to its spread, and encouraged by increasing awareness in this regard,
Stressing that States must ensure that any measure taken to combat violent extremism complies with their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, and underscoring that counter-terrorism measures and the protection of human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law are not conflicting goals, but complementary and mutually reinforcing, and are an essential part of a successful effort to counter violent extremism,
Recognizing the commitment of all religions to peace, and determined to condemn violent extremism, which spreads hate and threatens lives, and reaffirming that violent extremism, in all its forms and manifestations, cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group,
Recognizing also local, national, regional and multilateral initiatives aimed at addressing both directly and indirectly the grievances that drive violent extremism,
1. Stresses the international obligations of all States under the Charter of the United Nations and international law, in particular refraining in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations and settling their international disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the Charter;
2. Condemns the targeting of civilian populations, including women and children, in violation of international law, in particular human rights and humanitarian law, including by violent extremists, as well as the attempts to disrupt and divert the popular quest for political reform, moderation and inclusive development in different societies and drive it away from the hard work of development towards violence;
3. Deplores attacks on religious places and shrines and cultural sites in violation of international law, in particular human rights and humanitarian law, including any deliberate destruction of relics and monuments;
4. Urges all Member States to unite against violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations as well as sectarian violence, encourages the efforts of leaders to discuss within their communities the causes of violent extremism and discrimination and to evolve strategies to address these causes, and underlines that States, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations, religious bodies and the media have an important role to play in promoting tolerance and respect for religious and cultural diversity;
5. Stresses that it is important that States strongly condemn all forms of violence against women and refrain from invoking any custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination, as set out in the Declaration on the Elimination of means of promoting tolerance, in preventing the spread of extremism by instilling respect for life and promoting the practice of non-violence, moderation, dialogue and cooperation, and encourages all States, the specialized agencies of the United Nations and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to contribute actively to this endeavour by, inter alia, placing emphasis on civic education and life skills as well as democratic principles and practices at all levels of formal, informal and non-formal education, and in this regard recognizes the effort made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, including through organizing the conference, held in June 2015, on youth and the Internet: fighting radicalization and extremism;
9. Recommends promoting community engagement in countering violent extremism, including by strengthening ties between communities and emphasizing their common bonds and interests;
10. Calls upon Member States to advocate for and disseminate information on tolerance and mutual respect, and underlines the potential contribution of the media and new communications technologies, including the Internet, to promoting respect for all human rights, to developing a better understanding among all religions, beliefs, cultures and peoples, to enhancing tolerance and mutual respect and thus to strengthening the rejection of violent extremism;
11. Recognizes the positive contribution that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression, particularly by the media and new technologies, including the Internet, and full respect for the freedom to seek, receive and impart information can make to the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and reiterates the need to respect the editorial independence and autonomy of the media in this regard;
12. Strongly condemns any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence;
13. Encourages Member States to increase their understanding of the drivers of violent extremism, particularly for women and youth, so as to develop targeted and comprehensive solutions to this threat;
14. Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, regional and non-governmental organizations and other relevant stakeholders to endeavour to fulfil, in an appropriate manner, the objectives set out in the present resolution;
15. Notes the intention of the Secretary-General to propose a plan of action to prevent violent extremism to be presented to and considered by the General Assembly;
16. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its seventy-second session on the implementation of the present resolution and to recommend ways and means by which the United Nations system and the Secretariat could assist Member States, upon their request and within existing resources, in generating public awareness about the dangers of intolerance, as well as in fostering understanding and non-violence.
The original document can be downloaded HERE.